They’ll be football mad in Quebec City again this fall as the Laval Rouge et Or set out to begin the 2006 college season ranked as the number one pick.
The football program at Laval has quickly become one of the best in the country a fact that has been recognized by the crowds that trek out to the Laval campus on game days. Provincial rivals the Carabins of Universite de Montreal are ranked third, which should make for an exciting finish for the growing legions of football fanatics in Quebec this fall.
Last years defending champion Laurier Hawks hold down the number four spot in the CIS top ten as the season gets set to begin. The two month season leads up to the Vanier Cup this year to be held in Saskatoon where the second ranked Huskies will be hoping to be in the mix when the national championship is battled for.
The season kicked off in the West on Saturday with Saskatchewan topping Alberta 27-6, Manitoba defeating Regina 34-24 ( a poor omen for the Riders perhaps?) and UBC defeated Calgary 22-16.
If you live close to a Canadian college its well worth your while to check out game day on campus, the quality of the Canadian college game improves each year as can be seen by the large number of CIS grads who have made their mark in the CFL and those that have even moved across the border to test their skills in the NFL.
The Globe and Mail presented the top ten listings from Canadian Press in its Saturday edition.
Laval begins CIS football season at No. 1
Canadian Press
Ottawa — The Laval Rouge et Or open the 2006 Canadian university football season at No. 1 while the defending Vanier Cup champion Laurier Golden Hawks are fourth in the first ranking announced Wednesday.
The Saskatchewan Huskies, 24-23 losers to Laurier in the Vanier Cup last fall, are ranked second. They host this year's championship match at Griffiths Stadium on Nov. 25.
Laval led all 10 polls last season and is seeking its third title in four years after losing to Saskatchewan 29-27 in last year's Mitchell Bowl.
A 24-18 exhibition win over the Huskies on Saturday in Quebec City helped the Rouge et Or hold on to the top spot.
The Golden Hawks, who became the first Ontario conference team to win the Vanier Cup since 1994, slipped in the standings after graduating 11 of 24 starters, including quarterback Ryan Pyear and running back Nick Cameron.
The Montreal Carabins, now under coach Marc Santerre, are ranked third and should pose a significant challenge to Laval in the Quebec conference.
The Acadia Axemen, at No. 7, are the only top-10 team from the Atlantic conference. St. Mary's, a perennial powerhouse in recent years, fell out of the rankings following the departure of coach Blake Nill to Calgary.
Rounding out the top-10 are: Ottawa at No. 5; McMaster at No. 6; Alberta at No. 8; Manitoba at No. 9 and Western at No. 10.
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